ROCK THE VOTE

12.02.11

Egypt Turnout Hits 62 Percent

Peter Macdiarmid / Getty Images

Hope it lasts the month. Turnout in the first round of parliamentary elections in Egypt reached 62 percent, though there’ll be two more rounds, lasting until the beginning of January. “This is the highest turnout in Egypt’s history since the time of the pharaohs,” said Abdel Moez Ibrahim, the head of the Elections High Commission. More than 13 million people voted Monday and Tuesday. Officials need more time to count the ballots, delaying formal results. But the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party is expected to haul in 40 percent of the vote, according to preliminary numbers, though it has turned down forming a majority with the ultraconservative Salafis, who took a surprising 25 percent.